I started out today to just wish everyone a Happy July 4 celebration of the birth of our nation. And, by all means, Happy Independence Day to you all! (a day or two early because I will certainly be at a barbecue or a pool or both on Monday!) But along the way I was sidetracked by an article concerning scientists  who have apparently discovered a way to link strands of DNA through chemistry. 

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-07-click-chemistry-stealth-dna-links.html

Now I am no expert in this field (far from it!) but I do know it was not too long ago that they were telling us it would take 50 years to map out the entire human genetic code, but new advances in technology reduced that time projection dramatically. I also have learned that scientists are predicting that the next major leap forward in computers will be in leaving behind hardware based systems and moving into biologically based computing and robotics. I don’t think I am entertaining science fiction projections when I foresee a not too distant future world in which cell based computers are actively used to augment human abilities in a biological manner. I am thinking biological computers grafted into humans to increase human abilities.

Does this sound scary? I don’t think so, though I do worry about the prospective widening of a gap between those who have and those who don’t. 

What scares me is the possibility that it will be some other country that gets there first. What an incredible advantage they would have over the rest of the world.

And so here is another reason I must stress again and again the need to increase the emphasis we place on science, chemistry and engineering in schools. We must raise the leaders of tomorrow in these fields because the stakes are now so high.

How can you, a PTO mom, encourage this? Well, help your kids with their science homework for sure! But kids learn best when they are excited about the subject. So scheduling an exciting science assembly into your school, whether during the day or as an after school enrichment activity, is a sure bet to raise interest in science in your community. A school assembly on Chemistry might inspire the worlds next great chemist. A school enrichment program on Physics might inspire the next great Einstein or Hawking. It sure can’t hurt, and science programs are exciting and fun.

So if you are charged with school enrichment at your building, and are looking for school assemblies for the coming year, think about a science assembly. Or get ready to declare allegiance to a foreign country whose leaders carry on board computer assists in their brains. Schedule a science assembly and declare America’s Independence once again! Now, go have that hot dog!

Geoff Beauchamp is the Regional Manager of Mobile Ed Productions where "Education Through Entertainment" has been the guiding principal since 1979. Mobile Ed Productions produces and markets quality educational school assembly programs in the fields of science, history, writing, astronomy, natural science, mathematics, character issues and a variety of other curriculum based areas. In addition, Mr. Beauchamp is a professional actor with 30 years of experience in film, television and on stage. He created and still performs occasionally in Mobile Ed's THE LIVING LINCOLN